Bandai Namco has unveiled a brand-new installment in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, nearly ten years after the last one.
Bandai Namco announces that a new game in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series is being created after over 15 years since the last installment. It was disclosed at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2023, an occasion organized by Bandai Namco devoted solely to video games based on the enduringly well-liked anime series. It featured a Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament, a card game tournament, and even sporadic musical interludes with Dragon Ball Z singer Hironobu Kageyama. Introducing a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game was one of the biggest surprises that took fans off guard.
For unfamiliar people, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi is a collection of 3D arena fighting games Spike created in the middle of the 2000s and made available on the PS2 and Wii. This subseries consisted of three games, the third of which had the largest roster and featured many well-known combatants. For numerous years, aside from a PSP spin-off, only one game was released in the series, with Xenoverse serving as the de facto DBZ 3D arena fighter. Given this, it should come as no surprise that the news of a fourth installment in the series, which had been so long in coming, came as a huge shock to fans.
An old video from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was used to open the teaser. This footage showcased many extraordinary transformations and moves, including Vegito, Super Saiyan 4 Goku, and Ultimate Gohan. The scene then switches to Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan with the same old graphics from the earlier games. However, Goku soon powers up in his Super Saiyan Blue form rather than a Super Saiyan condition.
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「ドラゴンボール Sparking！」シリーズ
最新作情報が解禁！
＼映像はコチラから↓#ドラゴンボール #バトルアワー pic.twitter.com/VMMPWWeSUr
— ドラゴンボールゲームスバトルアワー2026公式 (@db_eventpj_jp) March 5, 2023
The game’s new anime aesthetic uses the same cel-shaded graphic style as in Dragon Ball FighterZ. Supporters cheered at this announcement, and many people on Twitter were thrilled to see a beloved property return. Just Goku’s transformation, which was based on the moment when Goku turns into Super Saiyan Blue in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, was shown during the gameplay portion of the trailer.
The previous Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game, which featured characters from the original Dragon Ball Z, the DBZ movies, GT, and even Dr. Slump, had one of the most extensive rosters in fighting game history. Dragon Ball Super will be covered in this game. It is still too early to say whether the roster will be reduced in size to include the popular picks or will make an effort to include some less well-known characters. Fans are nonetheless excited to watch more of this contest.
Current work on a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game.
